Monday morning links

TOP STORIES
• World on flu alert as swine virus spreads - BBC
• GM to cut 21,000 US factory jobs, shed Pontiac - AP
• Default Rates Reach ‘Eye-Popping’ Levels in March - Bloomberg
• IEA Sees Oil-Supply Crunch by 2013 on Slow Investment - Bloomberg
• G.M.’s Ever-Changing Art of Financial Forecasting - NY Times
• The Restructuring of Global Oil Demand - Gregor
• U.S. toxic-asset plan stirs fears - LA Times
• The IMF's Gold Gambit - WSJ

MARKETS/INVESTING
• Flu set to bug Wall Street - CNN/Money
• Oil falls below $49 amid uncertain outlook - AP
• Gold hits 4-week high as flu fears spook markets - Reuters
• Money Doesn't Grow On Trees - Hussman Funds
• Thank Uncle Sam for the rally - MSNBC

ECONOMY
• Economists see more job losses, 9.8% unemployment - USA Today
• California budget fixes on May 19 ballot are mostly shams and frauds - LA Times
• The One Trillion Commercial Real Estate Time Bomb - Zero Hedge
• Green shoots will not mean healthy roots - Guardian
• Summers: 'Unremitting freefall' ended - CNN/Money

INTERNATIONAL
• Swine flu fears grip world markets - AP
• UK Quantitative Easing in pictures - FT Alphaville
• IMF says national deficits to remain sky-high - FT
• Irish Banks May Report EU22.5 Billion of Loan Losses - Bloomberg
• Mexico Peso Falls on Concern Swine Flu to Deepen Slump - Bloomberg
• Japan expects economy to shrink a record 3.3% in fiscal '09 - MarketWatch
• ECB Likely to Make Moderate Rate Cut, Quaden Says - Bloomberg
• EU health minister: Don't travel to Mexico or US - AP

HOUSING
• High-end mortgages get easier - MSNBC
• Fannie Mae Creates Housing Mirage With Bum Loans - Bloomberg
• B of A rebranding 'toxic' Countrywide lending operation - LA Times
• Home sales data hint worst might be over - Lansing Journal

FED/TREASURY/BANKING
• Paulson’s ‘Gift’ to Lewis Delivered at Gunpoint - Bloomberg
• Geithner, as Member and Overseer, Forged Ties to Finance Club - NY Times
• At meeting, Fed to weigh options to revive economy - AP
• Fed study puts ideal US interest rate at -5% - FT

INTERESTING
• Flu Special Report: The Basics - LiveScience
• The Starting Point: Salmonella outbreaks and vanquished pirates - Yahoo! News
• A Workers’ Paradise Found Off Japan’s Coast - NY Times
• Americans Accused of Stealing Fuel in Iraq - NY Times

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